DALY Cherry-Evans has been medically cleared to begin life as the Queensland No. 7 — meaning Cooper Cronk may never start an Origin or Test again.

The Daily Telegraph has been told Cherry-Evans is determined to make the Maroons halfback jersey his own after scans cleared him of serious injury on Sunday, despite colliding with the NRL equivalent of a Mac truck — 130kg Canterbury prop Sam Kasiano — in Friday Night Football.

While Queensland are unlikely to discuss the issue publicly, there is no doubting Origin II now shapes as the perfect opportunity for DCE to assume the role of Queensland and Australian No.7.

Cherry-Evans is ready to use Cooper Cronk’s injury to his full advantage.Source: News Corp Australia

Should the Manly playmaker dominate the final two games of the interstate series — and, more worryingly, lead the Maroons to a ninth consecutive title — Kangaroos coach Tim Sheens will come under increasing pressure to anoint him as his starting No. 7 for the Four Nations series.

A mainstay of the representative scene for five years, the Melbourne playmaker was already under pressure to retain his No. 7 jersey before the current Origin series got underway. And after breaking his arm at Suncorp Stadium, the door has now opened for his protégé to assume the throne.

Which should leave NSW feeling more than a little nervous.

Greg Inglis uses Instagram to reassure fans over injury
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South Sydney fullback Greg Inglis turned to Instagram following the Rabbitohs' win over the Warriors in Perth on Saturday night to reassure Bunnies and Queensland fans that the ankle injury he suffered is not too serious.

Indeed, had Kasiano not felled the playmaker with a tackle that saw him placed on report, who knows where the Brookvale Oval demolition may have finished up?

While the collision, in the 44th minute, saw DCE removed from the field, and then spend the remainder of the night with a giant ice pack on his left knee, a club spokesman said there was no concerning damage.

“Scans have ruled out anything serious,’’ the official said. “Daly has been told that, with plenty of rest and ice, the knee will be right if and when he is picked for Queensland”.

Should Cherry-Evans continue his representative rise, it is unlikely we will again witness a situation like back in May, when Sheens was forced to defend his decision to bench the playmaker for all but three minutes of Australia’s Test win over New Zealand.

Meanwhile, while the Canterbury win has Manly well on track to make a 10th successive finals appearance, five-eighth Keiran Foran has warned the team needs to find greater consistency in performances over the back half of the year.

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